Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - SHS 1
MAGNETOSTATICS
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MAGNETOSTATICS
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Subject: Physics
Class: SHS 1
Term: 2nd Term
Week: 9
Grade code: 1.3.1.LI.1
Strand code: 3
Sub-strand code: 2
Content standard code: 1.3.1.CS.1
Indicator code: 1.3.1.LI.1
Theme: ELECTRIC FIELD, MAGNETIC FIELD AND ELECTRONICS
Subtheme: MAGNETOSTATICS
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Welcome, students! Today, we are beginning a fascinating topic called Magnetostatics. We all know what magnets are – they stick to our fridges and are used in speakers. But did you know that electricity can also create magnetism? When you use an electric fan, a blender, or even the large cranes at the Tema Harbour or Agbogbloshie that lift scrap cars, you are seeing magnetism created by electricity. Magnetostatics is the study of magnetic fields produced by steady, unchanging electric currents. However, to understand how a steady flow of electricity can create a magnet, we must first understand a fundamental rule that governs electricity itself: the Law of Conservation of Charge.
Concept 1: The Law of Conservation of Charge
This is one of the most fundamental laws in all of physics. Definition: The Law of Conservation of Charge states that the net electric charge of an isolated system remains constant. In simpler terms, charge can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be transferred from one object to another. Explanation: All matter is made of atoms, which contain positive protons and negative electrons. An object is neutral when it has an equal number of protons and electrons. When we "charge" an object, we are not creating new charge. We are simply moving electrons from one place to another. The total amount of charge in the universe is constant.